Sat, Sep 07, 2013 - Page 11

A 24-year-old woman in Keelung surnamed Tsai was run over while crossing the street by a woman, surnamed Huang, who was riding a motorcycle. Upon being notified, the police arrived on the scene. Tsai said that she needed to return home to get her ID card, but she never returned. When the officer went to Tsai’s house to ask her what happened, she had no recollection of the event and said, “I was sleeping. I dreamed that I was in a car accident and my whole body is sore,” leaving the police officer dubious about how to proceed.

Keelung police received a call just after 3pm on Aug. 27, reporting that a collision had occurred on Jhongjheng Road. When the police officer who received the call arrived on the scene he saw Tsai squatting and quivering at the side of the road. She was able to clearly state her identity upon being asked, and said she had to return home to get her ID card.

Someone from the traffic division arrived on the scene 10 minutes later to draw an illustration of the accident, but since Tsai had still not returned the police decided to try and locate her at the address she had given them.

After the police officer rang the doorbell, Tsai came to the door with a look of confusion on her face and asked, “Officer, what’s the matter?” The officer incredulously said, “You were just in a traffic accident and said you were going to come back with your ID. Why didn’t you come back?”

“I haven’t gone out. I’ve been sleeping the whole time, but I dreamed that I was in an accident. My whole body is sore and I’m wounded. I’m really scared,” Tsai said with an innocent look on her face.

Since this was during “Ghost Month” — the seventh month of the lunar calendar — the officer handling the case felt that things were indeed a bit out of the ordinary, but after reviewing CCTV footage showing Tsai in the traffic collision with Huang on a scooter, Tsai finally realized that it was not a dream.

After being questioned by the police, Tsai and Huang decided to negotiate compensation for damages privately. The police were worried that Tsai had suffered temporary amnesia from being traumatized by the accident and asked that her family take her to the hospital to get checked out.